Microsoft Discounts Surface Pro 3 For Education

With discounts of at least $150 available across the Surface Pro 3 line, Microsoft hopes its newest tablet can become a hit among students and teachers.

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Hoping to make its mark on the back-to-school season, Microsoft is offering educational discounts of at least $150 across the entire Surface Pro 3 range. The deal, which runs until September 3, brings the Pro 3's entry-level cost down to $649. That's $50 less than an iPad Air with the same storage capacity. It's also $150 less than a MacBook Air -- the device to which Microsoft has most often compared the Pro 3. Surface Type Covers are still sold separately, which narrows the margin if you intend to use the Pro 3 as a laptop.

Three Pro 3 models received $150 discounts: The base configuration with an Intel i3 processor, 64 GB of storage, and 4 GB of RAM runs $649; the i5-based model with 128 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM is $849; and the i5 version with a 256-GB SSD and 8 GB of memory will set students back $1,149. The high-end models boast slightly larger discounts. The i7 model with a 256-GB SSD and 8 GB of memory runs $1,394.10, a discount of just over $150. The top-of-the-line option adds another 256 GB of storage and brings the total cost to $1,754.10, or almost $200 off the regular price.

With a keyboard cover, the discounted Pro 3 is a little under $800 -- still well below the $899 cost-of-entry for Apple's 11-inch MacBook Air, and substantially less than the $999 Apple charges for its base 13-inch model. In our Surface review, InformationWeek concluded the i5-based Pro 3 with 8 GB capably handles laptop duties, including more demanding tasks, such as heavy photo editing. With a new kickstand and redesigned Type Cover, the device accommodates lap use much better than predecessors, but still doesn't quite match the ergonomics of traditional clamshell designs. As a tablet, the device is notable mostly for its note-taking features, which have been lauded as among of the most fluid and satisfying digital ink experiences available.

Microsoft's discounted prices are available only to qualified students, faculty, and staff.

Initially, only Microsoft's i5 configurations were available, but in the last week the full lineup has hit store shelves. The company has touted its low-end Pro 3 as a great option for students, but early tests indicate the i3-based models trail their i5 counterparts' performance by a noticeable margin. In fact, in many tests, the base Pro 3 falls behind past-generation Surface Pro models, indicating that the new device will capably handle routine tasks, but might bump against performance walls if pushed too far. The i3 configuration includes not only a slower CPU, but also a less powerful version of Intel's integrated GPU. The Surface Pro 2 is available only in i5-based options.

Because the i7-based Pro 3 only just hit the market, testers haven't yet weighed in on its performance. Online anecdotal accounts are so far split as to whether the device represents a worthwhile upgrade from the i5 models.

For those who prefer earlier Surface models, Microsoft still sells the Surface Pro 2. In June, the company shaved between $100 and $200 off the price of various Pro 2 configurations. The cut brought the base model with an i5 processor and 64 GB of storage down to $799, though that model is currently sold out on Microsoft's website. Counterintuitively, this cost is substantially more than the discounted Pro 3, but as mentioned, early tests indicate the i3-based Pro 3 doesn't offer the raw computing power of i5-based Pro 2s.

Speaking of the Pro 2, it should be much more visible as students make their final device choices before heading back to school. Beginning last weekend, NFL teams began using Surface Pro 2s on the sidelines, as part of a reported $400 million deal between the league and Microsoft. To preserve a competitive balance, the NFL has long banned teams from in-game use of video devices and computers. This forced coaches and players to rely on photographs relayed between team staff in the upper decks and those on the sidelines. Now, however, teams will have on-the-field access to 25 league-owned Pro 2s -- 13 for players, and 12 for coaches.

Equipped with ruggedized cases, the devices will be limited to certain functions. Video playback is not allowed, for example, and the devices connect to a private network instead of the Internet. The NFL believes these efforts will ensure that players, rather than technology, dictate the outcome of each match. Outside of games, the Pro 2s remain in the league's possession, rather than the team's -- another policy that the NFL claims will preserve a level playing field.

Time will tell if Surface tablets become a hit, either on the gridiron or in the classroom. Last month, Microsoft execs said Pro 3 sales outpace those of earlier models, but the company has not yet revealed any concrete figures.

Michael Endler joined InformationWeek as an associate editor in 2012. He previously worked in talent representation in the entertainment industry, as a freelance copywriter and photojournalist, and as a teacher. Michael earned a BA in English from Stanford University in 2005 ... View Full Bio

I don't think the keyboard is noisy. It's definitely quieter than, say, the keys on the Lenovo ThinkPads that so many businesses deploy. The newest TouchCover offers good key travel, though it's hard to speed-type quite as well as you might on a premium clamshell. It also offers excellent responsiveness-- a good product, I'd say.

As for price, though... I find Microsoft's "we want to let the user choose the keyboard color" stuff to be a weak excuse for selling the keyboard separately, and for skirting the issue of its price. On its website, Microsoft could easily bundle keyboards while allowing users to choose their own color. Yes, that could represent a lot of SKUs, but it doesn't mean the buyer interface needs to be impossibly convoluted. We're talking about one of the most powerful software companies on the planet-- if they can't figure out how to set up a web interface that accommodates this, I'd be surprised. As for retail stores, they could keep some inventory on hand, and if they don't have the color the consumer wants, it can be ordered. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think a consumer would be happy to wait a few days for the desired keyboard if it meant saving some cash.

The keyboard is quite quiet in comparison to most keyboards I've heard.

As for including the keyboard there are 5 SP3 models, and 5 types of keyboards. Should microsoft offer 25 different SKUs? Selling them would sure be hard, a store would have to stock a lot more product to cover all it's bases. Is that really the suggestion here? What about people who don't get a keyboard? Do they get a discount?

I think if Microsoft is able to collaborate with universities they will be able to penetrate that market even more. I see a lot of students getting either Macs or regular laptops. May be those students majoring in art or animation will benefit more from the functionalities of surface pro than other majors would.

Ordering a keyboad with the computer is pretty easy. After you select the computer from the MS site it takes you to the accessories page where you get to select the color keyboard you want. And for students the discount more than makes up for the cost of a keyboard.

So you're saying when you apply a lot of high end requirements that 95% of users will never encounter, a low end system won't fit the bill. I'll take it a step futher. My needs are high speed inter-city transportation. No laptop is of any use whatsoever for that. See?

"Last month, Microsoft execs said Pro 3 sales outpace those of earlier models, but the company has not yet revealed any concrete figures."

They never do. Funny how you can use statistics to prove a point in either direction. Very deceiving. Yet, one can imagine MS posting this info willlingly if this device sold like a new iphone when first introduced. Apple is all over that.

I've heard the KB is rather noisy. At any rate, the price point is too high. Only 1 USB to MB? This has far worse port selection then even the most limited ultrabooks. Having a digitizer display is nice, but that component adds considerable cost. MS should offer a cheaper version of this without digitizer. Not everyone uses that feature. The KB really needs to be included. I bet 99 percent of folks who buy it get the KB. MS trying to keep price down on main device but who are they kidding? People can add. They need to include KB and bring down the price point 200 dollars. Price point is what will make this fail.

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